Muscle Evolution Posing Handbook 4685x

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THE ULTIMATE BODYBUILDING

POSING HANDBOOK PERFECT YOUR POSING TO SHOWCASE YOUR HARD-EARNED PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES ON STAGE WITH THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

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FROM THE EDITORS OF MUSCLE EVOLUTION, SOUTH AFRICA’S ONLY DEDICATED BODYBUILDING MAGAZINE

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IT ALL STARTS IN THE MIRROR TYPES OF POSING POSING REQUIREMENT PERFECT YOUR POSING PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE MANDATORY POSING GUIDELINES

• QUARTER TURNS • FRONT DOUBLE BICEPS • REAR DOUBLE BICEPS • FRONT LAT SPREAD • REAR LAT SPREAD • SIDE TRICEPS • SIDE CHEST • FRONT ABDOMINAL AND THIGH • MOST MUSCULAR

POSING ON STAGE FREE-POSING ROUND BONUS TIPS SIDEBAR 10 TIPS FOR POSING PRACTICING POSING FOR MUSCLE GROWTH AND SELF ASSESSMENT ■ THANKS

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I

T TAKES MUCH MORE THAN A PERFECT BODY TO REIGN SUPREME ON THE COMPETITIVE BODYBUILDING STAGE. TO WIN SHOWS YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR CHISELED PHYSIQUE TO THE JUDGES IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY.

With so much emphasis and effort placed on optimal training and nutrition there is often a key element of bodybuilding success that is left out – posing and presentation. This is like going to war without any ammunition. As a competitive bodybuilder walking onto stage with nothing on but tan and posing trunks, the best weapon you can have with you is your posing prowess. MERVYN HANNIE & BULELANI JOLA

IT ALL STARTS IN THE MIRROR

We all know that dieting for a show can make you go through emotional highs and lows. This emotional state combined with countless workouts performed with little to no energy can make you feel completely and utterly drained. Regardless of how you feel you still make time to hone your ability to display and promote your physique on stage to the best of your ability. This can be tough between the dieting and the training but you don’t want to end up letting your hard work in the gym and in the kitchen go to waste on stage, and possibly miss out on that first place trophy, especially if you were the most conditioned athlete in the pose-down. You can’t afford to make unnecessary mistakes if you want to out-muscle your competitors and be the cream of the crop after months of tough dieting and excruciating workouts. It is hard enough to get to the stage in the first place and you don’t want to be your own worst enemy when it matters the most! Posing is therefore not a last minute decision on show day but one of the most important factors in your preparation for a contest. It all starts in the mirror where you need to practice your posing.

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TYPES OF POSING

A pose is either optional or mandatory, depending on the rules and requirements of the federation an athlete belongs to. Certain federations may also have additional posing requirements for the final rounds such as pose downs between the top competitors or even a free posing routine where an athlete can get creative and showcase their physique in unique ways. During the pre-judging portion of any bodybuilding show athletes will be called upon to complete the mandatory poses. The athlete can often be called out several times to be compared with their fellow competitors. It is at this stage when the judges get their initial impressions and start forming a score based on what they see. Many athletes believe that a show is won or lost in prejudging because first impressions count so much. Following the mandatories competitors who make it to the final rounds may compete in the free posing round, where all seven compulsory poses can be incorporated into a choreographed 60-second routine. Once again, points are given here for excellence in posing ability.

“MANY ATHLETES BELIEVE THAT A SHOW IS WON OR LOST IN PRE-JUDGING BECAUSE FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT SO MUCH.”

POSING REQUIREMENT The various federations may have different posing requirements and criteria, but the main mandatory poses that can be found in most if not all federations include: 1. Quarter turns 2. Front double biceps 3. Front lat spread 4. Side chest 5. Back double biceps 6. Back lat spread 7. Side triceps 8. Abdominals and thighs 9. Most muscular

THE POSE DOWN:

Once the seven mandatory poses in round two are completed, the IFBB Chief Judge will call for a 30- to 60-second pose down performed to music of the organiser’s choice.

THE POSING ROUTINE:

Once selected, each of the top six finalists will perform an individual posing routine to music of his choice, up to a maximum of 60 seconds. These poses can also be combined in various ways during the pre-judging and final rounds. For example, according to the rules and regulations of the biggest federation in the world, the International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness (IFBB), the Men’s Bodybuilding categories will consist of the following four rounds and posing requirements: 1. PREJUDGING: Elimination round – includes quarter turns and four mandatory poses, 2. PREJUDGING: Round 1 – includes four mandatory poses and comparisons of seven mandatory poses, 3. FINALS: Round 2 – includes seven mandatory poses and a pose down, 4. FINALS: Round 3 – includes a 60-second free posing routine.

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Aspiring bodybuilders are always eager to get their hands on the latest training and nutrition secrets. This also applies to posing but those in the know will tell you that there is actually no secret to posing only hard work. Bodybuilders must put in as much effort into their posing routine as they do into their weight training and their diet. Athletes who have stood in the limelight at a bodybuilding show know that they need to ruthlessly critique their bodies because that is what the judges will do on show day. So before stepping on stage assess and then reassess. Identify and then fine-tune lacking body parts. By knowing your weaknesses you can attack them head-on and take on your rivals with the confidence of a winner.

BOYSIE NCOBO & LOUIS BESSINGER

PERFECT YOUR POSING

“BY KNOWING YOUR WEAKNESSES YOU CAN ATTACK THEM HEAD-ON AND TAKE ON YOUR RIVALS WITH THE CONFIDENCE OF A WINNER.”

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE Before deg your posing routine, you need to get the basics in place: 1. P RACTICE YOUR FRONT RELAXED POSITION: This is probably the most underrated pose, and people seem to think it’s unimportant. But , this is the pose you will be using during the quarter turns as your transition between mandatory poses and during the comparisons, so they really are important! It is also the pose that you will find yourself in the majority of time on stage.

2. PRACTICE YOUR QUARTER TURNS: If you know how to perform these they are advantageous to you. It is a chance to show your symmetry, muscularity and V-taper.

3. PRACTICE THE COMPULSORY POSES: Most shows are won and lost during pre-judging, so it is crucial to show your physique at its best during the compulsory poses.

You should be posing every day for at least 30 minutes, practising the compulsory poses in front of a mirror. You should seek advice on your posing from an experienced competitor who will review your posing technique and execution, or you can take pictures to track your progress on a weekly basis. Evaluate your physique and determine your strong and weak points. Focus on your strong points and how you can best display them to the judges.

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TIP: Keep your arms tense but at your sides and your feet flat in each turn. Don’t twist your head or torso.

QUARTER TURNS

Quarter turns are the first series of poses a competitor will be asked to complete. They provide a good indication of overall muscle size and definition, and symmetry. To begin the quarter turns, stand in a semi relaxed position. Arms should hang to the sides, with weight distributed evenly. Widen the shoulders, flare the lats and flex the thighs and abs to enhance muscularity. The quarter turn to the right is next and shows the

left side of body. As with the front semi-relaxed pose, you should stand straight with feet flat on the ground. Face forward and tense your shoulders, thighs and abs slightly. Technically, when standing to the side you should not twist your body around to emphasise any aspect of the upper physique. This, however, is done quite often. Another quarter turn to the right is done to display the rear musculature of the upper and

lower body. Again, stand straight and widen your shoulders. It is also a good idea at this point to flex the calves and hamstrings for maximum effect. As with the previous quarter turns, the competitor should, when turning for a third time, stand straight and look ahead, this time to expose the right side of the body. Finally, quarter turn to the right (to face the front once again) and stand in the semi relaxed front pose.

JULIAN-LEE RHAMDARI

MANDATORY POSING GUIDELINES

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FRONT DOUBLE BICEPS To convey bicep size and lat width it is

important that the competitor lift their elbows higher than their shoulders with this pose. The key thing to is to keep the shoulders down and elbows up so that lat development can be emphasised. It is also important to pull the arms back slightly to highlight the separation between the biceps and triceps. Bend the legs at the knees slightly to accentuate the quads. to keep everything flexed. Breathing is also of importance. Inhale when you bring your arms into the flexed bicep position. Take short breaths when you are in the pose and keep your abs as tight and flat as possible.

TIP: Decide if you look better with your elbows parallel to the floor or slightly elevated. to always stand hard with your abs braced. Every muscle group that faces the judges must be flexed at all times.

TIP: Do not push your backside out. Keep it tucked in and tight. Also, tighten the lower back to highlight the erector muscles. With both the front and back double biceps keep the thumbs tucked in as this looks more professional.

REAR DOUBLE BICEPS With this pose try to keep the back leg, which

extends behind, angled out to convey the illusion of width in the lower body. Flex the calves and hamstrings for full effect. As with the front double bicep pose, keep the elbows higher than the shoulders and spread the lats.

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REAR LAT SPREAD Legs should be positioned as in the rear double

bicep pose. Push your waist in with your hands and flare your lats out (this pose should also emphasise the shoulder to hip taper). Move your hands to the front of your body while keeping your shoulders up and straight. Never hunch over as this can greatly detract from the muscularity of the upper lats. Keep your calves, hamstrings and glutes tight throughout the pose.

TIP: Make your waist look even smaller by putting your fists on your waist and ‘squeeze’ the waist smaller. Exhale and inhale in short breaths while holding the position. If your midsection is blocky then your lats and quads need to be as full as possible to create the illusion of an X-frame.

FRONT LAT SPREAD Keep your heels together with toes pointed out

at a slight angle, depending on how you feel your legs (outer thigh sweeps) are best accentuated. Place your hands on your waist to decrease its width and flare out the lats to make them visible from the front. Keep the shoulders flexed and up.

TIP: Before you flair your lats squeeze your bent arms against your lats, then crunch on your abdomen and really squeeze the lats with your arms. Flair your lats in that position, then arch your back.

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SIDE TRICEPS

Stand to the side and press the front thigh and calf hard against the rear leg. Keep your abs tight and pulled in. Keep the arm to be displayed straight and grasp the wrist of this hand with the opposite hand to hold it in place. Press your arm against your torso to create an illusion of thickness. This is incredibly important as the triceps tend to get tucked into the lat, which doesn’t allow a true representation of maximum muscularity.

TIP: Squeeze your pecs as much as you can to display striations and maximum thickness. Striated thick chests score higher at shows.

TIP: It’s very

important to suck your stomach in on this pose and to flex down on your abs and serratus muscles. It is also very important to give the judges just the right view – avoid a full-on side view. You need to show a bit of your chest and the far shoulder to create the illusion of width and size. The judges are looking for the obvious quad and hamstring development and separation, as well as serratus, shoulder and tricep development, separation and striations.

SIDE CHEST

Position your legs as you would with the side triceps pose. Take a deep breath and lift your chest up and out. Grasp the arm to be displayed with the opposite hand. Bend your arm to flex the bicep. Avoid lifting the rear shoulder up as this will reduce chest thickness. Instead, keep this shoulder down and bring your arm across slightly to highlight the striations in the opposite chest muscle.

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MOST MUSCULAR

(OPTIONAL OR COMPULSORY)

As the name suggests, the most muscular pose should display maximum amounts of muscle to overwhelm the judges. All frontal muscles will be displayed as the competitor crunches each hand together while contracting the chest, biceps and shoulders. There are many variations on this standard “most muscular” pose: stand with palms on hips and push down, or place one palm on your hip and the other in front of the body, or place both hands behind the back and pull your arms forward.

TIP: When you contract your abdominal muscles for this pose it’s very important to note if your waist gets thicker when you flex down as this might detract from your overall symmetry.

FRONT ABDOMINAL AND THIGH With this pose, try to emphasise lat width and, of

course, ab and thigh development. Begin by placing one leg out and flexing the thigh and calf. Place your hands behind your neck and bring your shoulders down. Flare your lats while keeping elbows up and back. Vacuum the abs in and crunch down on the frontal rib cage, abdominal wall, intercostals, serratus anterior and obliques while exhaling.

TIP: Don’t forget to flex your thighs and calves when you do a most muscular pose.

ANDREW HUDSON & CHRIS PILLAY

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POSING ON STAGE Judges use the mandatory poses to make a detailed assessment of each athlete’s primary muscle groups, physique, muscle bulk, balanced development, body fat, muscle shape, muscular density and definition, to name a few. They then score the athletes and rank them to see who progresses to the next rounds. To catch the judges’ eyes, when the chief judge calls out the pose athletes should get into the pose as quickly as possible. This ensures judges will be able to assess you completely before they begin to assess the next athlete, which will definitely be to your benefit. You never know exactly when or which judge is judging you, so give all the judges the opportunity to assess you correctly. By doing this you know the judges would

have assessed your physique correctly, saw what they needed to see and can now compare you to the next athlete. It is important to stay in the posing position until the chief judge advises you otherwise, because this is the time when you fight for your position. When an athlete hesitates to get into the pose, valuable time goes to waste before the next compulsory pose is called. The longer you wait to get into the pose, the shorter the time the judges have to assess and compare you before the next pose. that you have to show the judges what you’ve got; the compulsory poses give you that opportunity so use every minute to its full benefit. And always to stand hard! When comparisons are called out of which you are not part of, it is important to that you

are still being judged. Judges use this time to look at other athletes in the background. It might have happened that an athlete took a long time to get into compulsory poses or two athletes are very closely matched, and the judge/s need to make sure that his/her assessment is correct. , judging is all about decision making. You need to help the judges make the correct decision. It’s not easy to stay in a pose or to stand hard for long. However, as this is very important it should be part of your competition preparation. Even if your posing routine doesn’t determine your placing, it is so refreshing to see a choreographed routine. It is always enjoyed by the crowd and by the judges and gives you the opportunity show off all your hard work.

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This includes a posing display by the competitor that is choreographed to the music of their choice. The idea with free posing is to choose music and emphasise poses that will complement your physique and natural stage presence. Select music that you like and feel comfortable with. Suitable choice could range from heavy metal to upbeat techno, depending on the individual’s personal taste. Smaller competitors who perhaps are blessed with greater symmetry could use softer music; classical or easy listening for example. Whatever you choose, it must have a good introduction and ending. Try to cut the music to 60 seconds. Plan your poses for the freeposing round around distinctive sections in the music. Make sure that your transitions (how you look between poses) are smooth: the smoother they are the better your routine will be. If you are known for overall massive muscle development “power poses” like the most muscular should be emphasised. A free-posing routine should also include all of the compulsories, or variations thereof, and incorporate many optional poses such as the intercostal twist crunch, hamstring flex or the javelin-thrower (an iconic classic bodybuilding pose that emphasises a physique). It’s also important to try to develop something unique that will catch the judges’ eyes. Keep in mind that you have 60 seconds to perform a routine. Hold each pose between

COBUS VAN DER MERWE

FREEPOSING ROUND

“WITH FREEPOSING IT IS ALSO WISE TO PERFECT THE TRANSITIONS BETWEEN EACH POSE, AS A DEFICIENCY IN THIS AREA WILL GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF A SLOPPY ROUTINE.” three and four seconds before moving to the next one. With free-posing it is also wise to perfect the transitions between each pose, as a deficiency in this area will give the appearance of a sloppy routine. Transitions are essentially all movements between any given pose and will need to be factored into the prejudging compulsories as well. With transitions it makes sense to remain flexed but relaxed enough to flow from one movement to the next. Aim to perform your turns gracefully and not in a machine-like manner

as you’ll only end up with a ‘clunky’ robotic-like routine. To build a perfect routine the best is to limit the number of poses between transitions if you are a novice. This will keep your transitions smooth and leave fans shouting for more if your routine is properly choreographed. It is important to seek advice and guidance from competitive bodybuilders to develop this routine. Even a choreographer could give valuable lessons on what to do and what to avoid in a free-posing round. Friends and family are also great sources of on your poses to provide that much-needed critical eye. Once you have your routine planned out and your music selection finalised you then need to practice until it becomes second nature. There is nothing more distracting for judges and fans than hesitations during transitions or athletes who struggle to move with fluidity from one pose to the next. This gives the impression that your routine is sloppy, unrehearsed and haphazard, and you don’t want that. Devote ample time to your posing routine before a competition. to focus on the compulsory poses before you attempt to do any signature poses. You must know your strong points and the particular type of energy you want to bring to the stage in your free-posing round. Each bodybuilder is different, so only through practice and observation will you be able to find your own way of hitting each pose effectively. You don’t want to waste weeks of dieting and hard training to risk a good placement by not mastering the transitions to show off your physique.

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IT IS UP TO YOU

CHRIS FITZPATRICK

During the posing rounds it is important to keep in mind that the judges can only judge what they see on the stage on show day. It is up to you to highlight the strong points of your physique while downplaying your weaknesses. In general judges at bodybuilding shows will all look for a hard, striated physique where muscles and muscle seperation is clearly visible through the skin with nearzero body fat distorting the view. All that posing practice will amount to nothing if you haven’t achieved the level of muscularity and conditioning required to achieve success on the competitive stage.

JOHN LESLIE & VUSUMZI NJISANE

FLEXING AND POSING Posing between sets at gym can have a profound effect on

muscle hardness and detail. In fact, entire workouts can be based around the concept of iso-tension, where the muscle is tensed and held in an isometric contraction for a count of ten. Flexing works in much the same way, but for bodybuilding purposes the emphasis should be perfecting your pose and chiseling your muscles as a pre-contest strategy. Posing in the gym also helps you to pre-assess your physique to observe any weak points, which can then be addressed before stepping on stage. As bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger himself once said, “You can’t practice posing too much. I always believed in flexing and posing whatever body parts I was training during any workout in the gym. If I trained arms I would stop between sets and do some arm shots, studying myself in the mirror. Training legs or anything else, I would always take time to pose. Posing this way is not vanity. It has two specific advantages. On the one hand, this constant flexing in itself is a good form of training, helping to make the muscles hard and well defined. On the other, it constantly shows you exactly how much development you have achieved or failed to achieve. As great as your physique may appear at rest, it will primarily be judged as seen in poses. Therefore, what it looks like when you pose is the ultimate measure of your success. Without doing this there is no way to examine the body in each of these important poses, and that’s why I felt I could never pose enough.”

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10 TIPS FOR POSING a Melvin Anthony or Vince Taylor style routine because it can end up looking extremely tacky. Only certain people can pull off certain moves. 7. P ractice posing for 30 minutes each day from at least eight weeks out, making sure your compulsory poses are up to scratch to begin with. Hold each pose for 30 seconds to help build your endurance on stage. It isn’t as easy as it looks. 8. I nteract with the audience – let them see what you’ve got. 9. Videos/DVDs of pro bodybuilding shows are always a useful tool to watch. 10. While posing enjoy yourself and always to smile. No one enjoys a grumpy bodybuilder – entertain your audience!

SHANTI MITCHELL

1. R ead and research as much as you can find on posing. 2. When hitting every pose, to keep everything flexed and tight. This means on a back double biceps the back, hamstrings, calves and glutes should all be flexed, for example. 3. Develop your own style of posing; you want to stand out, not look the same as everyone else. 4. D on’t pick your music and then make a posing routine around it. Develop your routine first and then pick an appropriate track to go with it. You may need to make some minor changes depending on the expression of you as an individual. 5. Don’t choose a piece of music that is fast and has no rhythm. Posing should be slow, rhythmical and controlled, not chaotic. 6. Know your limitations – do not think you can pull off

PRACTICING POSING FOR MUSCLE GROWTH AND SELF ASSESSMENT The only way to perfect the mandatory poses is to practice them regularly and correctly. Practicing a pose incorrectly is dangerous because of our habit forming nature as human beings. That’s why it is essential to make sure that you have someone watching your posing practice to make sure that you are performing all your poses correctly. Another way is to watch pro bodybuilders

in action. As their career depends on perfect posing pro bodybuilders will display their physiques flawlessly, so one should try to emulate their example. This all seems fairly simple, yet every amateur show you go to there is always at least one competitor who clearly hasn’t practised their routine. The worst thing at a bodybuilding show is to see a great physique held back

by a sloppy and monotonous posing routine. This is why it is important to take photos or videos of your posing sessions ahead of a show to look at your execution and make adjustments where needed. Lastly, judges look for overall symmetry, muscularity and hardness at shows. You only have one chance to make a favourable impression on them. Make it count.

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ULTIMATE BODYBUILDING

THANKS WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO MADE THE PUBLISHING OF THIS ESSENTIAL BODYBUILDING RESOURCE POSSIBLE:

CONTRIBUTORS Marius Dohne, online coach and IFBB pro athlete Chris Fitzpatrick, Team SSN Muscle Junkie and 2013 IFBB Overall champion Hennie Kotze, IFBB pro athlete Andrew Carruthers, Muscle Evolution Editor-in-Chief Werner Beukes, Muscle Evolution Editor Pedro van Gaalen, Muscle Evolution Managing Editor PHOTOGRAPHY Soulby Jackson www.skjphotography.co.za Ben Myburgh www.benmyburghphotography.co.za

JACO VENTER

Roger Wells www.rwphoto.co.za

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